From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The House of Representatives has queried the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for allegedly depositing part of N9 billion COVID-19 intervention fund from the federal government into private accounts of some  staff.

Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts (PAC), Wole Oke, gave the query at the weekend, when the NCDC management appeared before the panel.

He noted that documents presented to the committee by the agency  indicated that part of the intervention fund was lodged in the accounts of staff.

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According to him, in 2020, N3.955 million  meant for establishment  of additional sample collection space and the sum of N792, 000 meant isolation centers were allegedly paid into private accounts.

The committee chairman, frowned at the practice, directed the agency to furnish the panel with relevant documents, detailing how the fund was expended.

However, the NCDC  procurement officer, Dania Augustus explained that money was usually paid into the account of staff, who raised a memo for any expenditure. He explained that one of the staff in whose account, was a desk officer.

“That is to say he raised memos on issues and treats files and all that. What usually happens is that whoever raises a memo for an activity, when payment is to be made so that accounts can track record of payment, the initiator of that memo, his name is usually used,” he explained.